In a move that would help the Gulf state keep up with the global markets, the UAE has decided to make Saturday and Sunday weekend holidays instead of Friday and Saturday, starting next year.
It made Friday, the Muslim holy day, a half-day of work that ends at noon, just in time for the communal prayer commonly held in mosques and customarily observed by Muslims.
The new decision was well received by citizens and residents of the UAE, who expressed their delight.
Also read: ‘UAE-GCC business as usual after new workweek’
Zeina, a Lebanese woman, working and living in the UAE for the past three years, expressed her pleasure about the new workdays.
She told TRENDS that it is coherent with her home country of Lebanon in terms of working days and that she will no longer feel disconnected from her friends and family on weekends.
“This weekend appears to be the norm to me, as I’ve been used to this working mechanism my entire life,” she said and also voiced hopes that Fridays will be remote working days rather than half-days at the office.
Raifa feels that the new work system will boost her weekly performance since it will be less stressful and offer her more time to relax away from work pressures before beginning a new, more productive week.
On the other hand, several Emirati individuals remain confused and surprised by this decision, especially since they have been used to the Friday vacation for their entire lives.
Rashed from Sharjah stated that he is used to Friday rituals, which begin with a morning meeting “with the family, followed by prayer, relatives’ visits, and lunch with friends”.
He said, “I believe we will need some time to adjust to the new system but we appreciate the state’s choice, which it deems suitable for the nation’s welfare.”
Users on Twitter praised the new work system, saying it helps the UAE and all involved parties, and hailing the fact that the UAE is the first country in the world to offer a national work week that is shorter than the five-day global week, as well as the first Gulf country to do so.
It is worth noting that the new decision will apply to all entities in the government sector, where official working hours will be from 7:30am to 3:30 pm from Monday to Thursday, while working hours in the private sector may last till after 5:00 pm.
The new system will allow federal authorities to use flexible working hours and the remote work system on Fridays, provided that the entities and corporations permit the implementation methods and that the workflow in these authorities is in their best interest.